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Garin charged with graft, illegal use of public funds over purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines

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Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin graces the mass immunization at Parang Elementary School in Marikina on April 4, 2016. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/11/22/20160404-20160329-dengue-immunization-jc-595.jpg"/><figcaption>Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin graces the mass immunization at Parang Elementary School in Marikina on April 4, 2016. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATE)</strong> — The Office of the Ombudsman has charged before the Sandiganbayan former Health Secretary and current Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin and several others with criminal charges over the purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/21/20/govt-must-campaign-for-vaccination-programs-as-dengvaxia-scare-lingers">Gov&#x27;t must campaign for vaccination programs as Dengvaxia scare lingers</a></li></ul><p>The separate cases for graft under section 3(e) of RA 3019 and illegal use of public funds or property under Art. 220 of the Revised Penal Code were filed on Tuesday, October 24.</p><p>Garin was charged in her capacity as former secretary of the Department of Health (DOH).</p><p>For the graft case, she was accused of realigning government funds and issuing a special allotment release order (SARO) worth P3.556 billion for the procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines and the implementation of the school-based immunization program, supposedly in violation of an executive order and several DOH issuances and causing damage and prejudice to the government.</p><p>Charged with her were then-DOH undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, then-DOH OIC Mary Joyce Ducusin, then-Philippine Children’s Medical Center executive director Julius Lecciones and then-undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go.</p><p>Except for Bayugo, the same co-accused were charged with Garin for illegal use of public funds. They were accused of causing the issuance of a SARO in favor of DOH in the amount of P3.556 billion to buy Dengvaxia vaccines in December 2015, when the vaccine was not listed in the Philippine National Drug Formulary, and the funds were supposed to go to the DOH’s expanded program on immunization.</p><p>Both informations or criminal charges were dated August 23, 2023 and signed by Rodil Casal II, graft investigation and prosecution officer.</p><p>The Ombudsman recommended bail worth P90,000 each for the graft case and P18,000 each for the illegal use of public funds case.</p><p>In August, the Ombudsman junked criminal negligence raps against Garin and her co-respondents citing the failure of the complaint to show a “causal relation” between the vaccine and the deaths.</p><p>Launched in April 2016, the school-based immunization campaign became controversial when its maker Sanofi Pasteur announced in November that year that its Dengvaxia vaccine could pose risks for those who had no prior dengue infection.</p><p>The announcement led to congressional probes and several criminal cases filed by parents of dozens of children, whom they claimed died due to Dengvaxia.</p><p>The immunization program was also suspended, with an estimated P1.44 billion worth of vaccines undispensed as of June 2017, according to a report by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/06/21/17/p14b-dengue-vaccine-undispensed-mired-in-controversy">P1.4B dengue vaccine undispensed, mired in controversy</a></li></ul><div><strong>GARIN REACTION</strong></div><p>In a statement, Garin welcomed the filing of the cases as an “opportunity to put an end to the longstanding issue…”</p><p>“There are a lot of risks in advocating vaccine development that we, as doctors and vaccinologists, experience. It is part of the challenges that come with our calling to save lives,” she said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/22/20/garin-denies-arrest-warrant-issued-against-her-over-dengvaxia-case">Garin denies arrest warrant issued against her over Dengvaxia case</a></li></ul><p>“As we maintain our clear conscience and readiness to face the issues that confront us, we are confident that our sound exercise of discretion, which is backed by hard science, will disprove the allegations in the complaint filed by Atty. Glenn Chong,” she added.</p><p>Chong is listed as among the witnesses against Garin. Others include lawyer Eligio Mallari and doctors Anthony Leachon and Clarito Cairo, Jr. </p><p>Expressing belief in the principles of justice and due process, Garin said she trusts her “innocence will be duly proven and the truth will come out in due time.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2854774" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><br/><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xx_HIP9XdXs?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

In a statement, Garin welcomed the filing of the cases as an 'opportunity to put an end to the longstanding issue.'

Garin charged with graft, illegal use of public funds over purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines

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Garin charged with graft, illegal use of public funds over purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines

Mike Navallo,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 25, 2023 05:44 PM PHT

|

Updated October 25, 2023 08:06 PM PHT

Read More:

Sandiganbayan

Ombudsman

Dengvaxia

vaccine

graft

Janette Garin

crime

vaccines

dengue

ANC

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